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I have spent a year with Husky’s 56″ heavy duty tool storage combo, and also their 60″ mobile workbench. Both are fabulous products.

I need more space to work, and more space to test other large tool storage products. Husky and Home Depot were kind enough to make arrangements for a return pick-up later today, and so I spent an evening emptying the drawers and getting them ready to go.

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I could have tried to give them away locally, but I’ve found that it can be difficult to find anyone willing and able to take several hundred pounds of tool storage goodness off my hands.

Cleaning out the drawers has seriously bummed me out. These are good tool storage products, and I’m sad to see them go.

It checks off just about all of my boxes. I like high density tool storage, and that’s what this 56″ combo is all about.

I loaded up one of the chest’s small side drawers with some hand tools to show you how spacious it is. And this is just the smallest drawer!

The combo is 20″ deep, with drawer depth at nearly 18″, and 100 lb load ratings – except for the double-slided large bottom drawers.

The number of drawers and their heights makes it highly optimized for hands tools and related supplies and equipment. There’s still ample space for power tools, in the larger bottom drawers, and the top cabinet.

There’s a long power strip in the top chest compartment, which is a fantastic feature. It means that your chargers and other pluggable tools and devices can be plugged in and placed anywhere.

The full-width drawer in the rolling cabinet? It can hold a 48″ level, with room to spare. Think about long breaker bars, prying bars, work lights, and other long items – they can fit!

The tool box features great quality heavy duty construction, from top to bottom. There are nice touches, such as Husky-embossed drawer liners and a rechargeable LED worklight (that I never used).

If I could have one tool storage product, and was on a $1,000 budget, this one would be it.

But alas, I need more space for the next series of tool storage review samples. If I had bought this combo, I would not have regretted it.

The cabinet? Eh, I’d prefer drawers, but it can be useful. There’s an adjustable shelf inside.

I had to take some time this evening installing 2 new locks. When the workbench first arrived, 2 of the locks were non-functional. The cylinders were stuck to an intermediate position, as if a master key was used to turn the cylinders halfway before being removed. Husky provided the replacement locks quickly, but I never got around to actually installing them. The styrofoam blocks I inserted to keep the locking arms in the unlocked positioned worked well.

It’s not a terribly difficult process to change out the locks, but it can be a little tricky even with a few drawers removed. I just wanted to make sure the workbench was ready for the next user, whomever that might be.

I’m going to miss the 24″ depth most of all. 60″ wide and 24″ deep? That’s a great size for a tool storage workbench.

To be honest, I’m going to miss the 56″ tool storage combo a lot more. The workbench is great and all, but it’s a little less efficient when it comes to hand tool storage. I found myself using it as I’ve used other large-drawered tool storage products, as a tool-dump.

Oh, 2-1/2″ and 4″ vacuum hose adapters and fitting? Okay, in they go, in a jumble. As such, I didn’t quite use the workbench to its full potential. I had the smaller drawers nicely organized with hand tools, clamps, and cordless power tool battery packs.

The full-width drawer opens and closes easily, and like in the combo, it’s supported on the sides and also in the middle by a 3rd drawer slide.

A Milwaukee 52″ mobile workbench has already been moved into the place previously taken by the Husky 60″ bench. Saving just 8″ of floor space makes a bigger difference than you might think.

My experiences with Husky’s heavy duty tool storage products have been enlightening. I knew, even before receiving the test samples, that they were being aimed at more demanding users, but things turned out better than I had anticipated.

Both products have earned a strong recommendation from me. Husky has a new even larger mobile workbench coming out. There are a couple of other new Husky heavy duty tool storage workbenches as well. Much of my fondness for the 2 heavy duty storage products I’ve tested will likely apply to them.

I think that Husky offers a nice variety of tool storage products, from entry-level to heavy duty, and am glad that they’re continuing to develop and offer heavier duty tool storage options.

I think the word is ‘conscience’ but considering the frequent mis-usages by AP and big newpapers I’m not surprised. What the hell happened to English education? Oh well, not among the world’s big problems.
Mostly I wondered if you have Nextdoor in your area. It’s a great way to get stuff out locally and connect with people in your neighborhood.
I’ve been given, or bought inexpensively, a number of good tools through this web-site.
Happy holidays.

Giving away things sometimes comes under the heading of “no good deed goes unpunished.” I gave away what was known as a living room grand piano to a church – only to be asked to pay to have it tuned. Some giveaways might also engender some liability in this litigious society in which we live.

I have to agree, about 10-12 years ago I tried to give away on Craigslist s
100% wood kitchen cabinets from the 60’s in great condition that the former owner had installed in the garage, after a remodel. , I was remodeled and rewiring and adding a 230v branch in the gsrage, I needed the space. I had a ton of responses and a gaggle of flakes an no-shows, over 5-6 days.

So I relisted them for $50 cash and had a guy at my door with a trailer and $50 an hour later.

I learned that its perception of value, inexpensive seems to be worth far more than free (to most people).

I imagine that because it was a review item that you were not allowed to sell it, for personal gain , perhaps with large review items (i.e. the tool cabinets) asking the vendor/manufacture if you would be allowed to sell and donate the proceeds to a local non-profit and fax/e-mail the cancelled check or receipt to the vendor and/or manufacturer.

I imagine that a community college or public high school with a tech dept (getting rare all the time) might have arranged to have it picked up esp, if it was free, I know that local middle school that the wood shop teacher was always looking for working tools.

I know that sometime the legwork can be a time suck, hence selling and donating the proceeds to habitat for humanity or one of the Veteran non-profits considering the demographic of the end user, and the preferenceof the vendor.

I know that typically with many items you can easily sell on CL for 50-75% of current price, without much hassle, even more so if your not trying for top dollar.

I agree that “free” devalues the thing. In running a scouting event – we never advertised it as free. If you did – you were never sure about the head-count and it invited last minute cancellations. Hard to plan a trip on this basis. Collecting a deposit (even if you refunded it later) was a way to insure an accurate head count and avoid bail-outs except those based on real exigencies.

I’ve heard of that before. On a forum a few years ago, someone put a refrigerator or something similar out front, with a “free” sign. No takers after a week. He then put a sign out, asking for $50. Someone took the item and skipped out on paying for it.

I have a strict policy of not receiving anything in return for tool sample giveaways or donations. If they’re my own personal tools, that might be different. But I’d sooner give away personal tools as well, than deal with the hassle of selling them.

I know some other reviewers sell tool samples, or trade them for goods or services, and it still shocks me. How do I know they’re not requesting some samples for the purpose or reselling at personal profit? I can never go down that path for any reason.

Sounds like you need a bigger property on which to build a big shop! Just kidding – because I pretty much filled up a 2400 square foot basement and a 3 car garage for shop space. With that, at one time I contemplated building a separate shop building (wired for 3 phase power) on my property – until I talked to the Village planning folks who would not hear of it. They did me a favor. Its actually much better consolidating and selling off/giving away “stuff” (as in George Carlin’s definition) that you really don’t need. Obviously the Storage Room and Pod business folks would not agree – as they would have you rent space to store your stuff.

The Husky units don’t hold up in a shop environment. The Milwaukee units do an OK at best job, as a comparison. Harbor Freight boxes rule the shop as far as budget options go. Why Husky, Milwaukee, and Dewalt make no attempts to compete with Harbor Freight is puzzling.

The Husky are made at the same factory as Milwaukee, and are every bit as heavy duty.

I just helped load up the Milwaukee 60″ mobile workbench next to the Husky, and if I didn’t know it before, I could see that they came from the same factory.

I like the Husky better than Milwaukee. The all-black color scheme is more subdued, the Husky workbench has a smooth top with no exposed screw heads, and it has an upgraded power strip. The new Husky has all swivel casters instead of 4 swivel and 2 fixed.

Having used and tested both, I would say that the Husky I tested would be as good or better than the Milwaukee.

Both are consumer products. If you’re in a commercial environment, the heavy duty Husky and Milwaukee tool storage products might do a good job for spaces where a bump-up to mid or high-level industrial or specialty boxes aren’t justified.

I bought an entry-level Proto box, and it’s crap compared to the Milwaukee and Husky, providing a lot less storage space for the same money. The higher-end Proto test sample I have, however, is unequivocally better than any consumer tool storage chest or cabinet I have ever owned, tested, or seen in person. It is better in every single way. But it also costs considerably more.

If I had $1000 to spend on tool storage, it would be on that Husky 56″ combo. I hope they come out with smaller versions of it, as 56″ and $1000 is going to be a lot for many users.

I’m starting to test the new Milwaukee 46″ combo, and it’s a seriously good contender. It better suits my space, while providing a ton of storage space. It too will eventually have to go to a new home.

“I bought an entry-level Proto box, and it’s crap compared to the Milwaukee and Husky, providing a lot less storage space for the same money. The higher-end Proto test sample I have, however, is unequivocally better than any consumer tool storage chest or cabinet I have ever owned, tested, or seen in person. It is better in every single way. But it also costs considerably more.”

I have found over the years that this is consistent across many high end brands. Their entry level stuff is crap compared to similarly priced counterparts that cater to the mid-high range.

Oftentimes it is with products that may be a first time purchase, like the above mentioned chest/cabinets. A person is looking to expand their storage capabilities, and look after their investment (the tools). They see something like this as a worthwhile investment, because it isn’t often that you make large purchases like these. The High end brands prey on the consumers ignorance of what is out there, and their lack of experience with said products, hoping that they will snag a customer who then later looks at the pricier stuff and develops a lust for those items. They still apply their usual high profit margin to said underperforming product by building it to a cheap pricepoint and then pricing it along mid range products.

As average consumers, we typically know a lot about a little, and a little about a lot. It’s websites like ToolGuyd that really help out the everyman in situations like this.

Lista cabs even as ungodly expensive as they are, will last your lifetime, your children’s lifetime, and their children’s with little service along the way. My friend who was used to be an Air Force flight line mechanic said they were the only storage solutions that could handle the abuse that those guys dish out. They were able to destroy Kennedy, Snap On, Proto, Matco boxes in no time.

I work in an industrial setting, so toolboxes don’t see an easy life. I said the Milwaukee holds up better than Husky, but rethinking it our Milwaukee boxes are used for test equipment and don’t see heavy use. So it wasn’t a fair comparison, but I can say the Husky will not hold up with any real shop use. I personally have 2 tiers of tool storage: Harbor Freight for budget, or Lista for serious use. The HF boxes put most other budget offerings to shame, and Lista puts most of the premium brands to shame for strength as well as price. My current work boxes are a HF 5 drawer cart paired with a Lista single bay mobile.

We had Lista in one shop and Vidmar in another. Both had the need to be serviced once in a blue moon – but we experience no dramatic failures or rough operation from any of the cabinets or workstations.
We also had rotabins that took lots of abuse with no complaint.

Same Husky box, I work for a small defense contractor and 2 of them were purchased for community tools. It’s an abusive environment, but the HF 56” boxes that serve the same role are excellent, and have been in service for years. I’ve also seen it with personal boxes, Craftsman and Husky just don’t last like HF boxes. The only Milwaukee boxes in our shop are community boxes for measurement equipment, and really don’t see much traffic.

The heavy duty Husky units Stuart reviewed and returned are made in the same factory as the Milwaukee branded ones. They both have the same gauge steel formed and welded. They are good for a home owner putting them in a garage and not moving them much fully loaded. In a commercial environment I think you’d be better served by the Harbor Freight US General boxes for the price.

Really the problem I have with any of the boxes at Home Depot and it might be my local one, nobody in the supply chain seems to give a hoot about moving stuff carefully. There’s not one of these storage solutions at my store that doesn’t have some big gouge, knick, dents, or other types of damage. Most of them even have damage that has put them out of square so the slides don’t work well or at all on some of the draws. I’m not paying $1000 on storage for a bunch of busted stuff. I know the same can be said for the stuff at Harbor Freight but I’ve had much better luck out of box with their stuff. The big boxes they sell come packaged on a pallet and have some heavy duty packing protection, the Home Depot stuff I’ve bought has been some wimpy styrofoam and cardboard.

Stuart somehow you lucked out or you were presented with the cream of the crop.

I had a problem with a Husky combo, if not this one, then a 52″ that I previously tested.

The bottom cabinet was severely smashed, as if a big weight was dropped in top.

I ordered 3 Proto 26″ or 27″ cabinets, and 2 arrived smashed.

Damage can happen at the warehouse or in transit.

With products like these, there’s only so much that can be done to protect them.

The packaging for Husky heavy duty and Milwaukee Tool storage products is quite good. If there’s damage, it’s not due to packaging.

Even the premium Proto cabinet arrived with some damage, to a top corner lip. It was fixable, except for a bit of cracked powder coat. Even if not fixed, it would only have been an issue if putting a top chest or worksurface.

I think it could be your local Home Depot. Just last week or so I decided to go into a Home Depot to kill some time (instead of sitting in traffic). This wasn’t my local home depot and this particular one was a mess. Almost everything was dusty, stuff was everywhere. Honestly it look like they just been mobbed.

Fortunately two of my local Home Depot are definitely way above average both in term of merchandise and staffing.

I’ve been lusting over this same tool box ever since it came out. Unfortunately, just before it was released i purchased a Waterloo that is smaller. I have been regretting that decision ever since. It was alot cheaper, but a lot more problems.

My main concern with these Husky tool chests is, how long do they last? I own several Kennedy tool chests plus a small Gerstner box that I can see, will last beyond my lifetime. Yes, they cost more, but, I’d rather buy USA made or from USA based companies. Will a Husky last for 25 years or more? I doubt it.

I’d really like to see a comparison between the Huskey 56 inch storage box and Milwaukee’s new 56 inch high capacity storage combo. The both look like great boxes. I’m curious as to whether you think one is better quality than the other and which one you think better utilizes space for a DIY home owner / garage box.